NewsJANUARY 8, 2007 - 12:00 ET
Rampart to Drill Split Rapids Area With High Grade Uranium in Sibley Basin-Lake Nipigon, Ontario
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(CCNMatthews - Jan. 8, 2007) - Dr. Hikmet Akin, President of Rampart Ventures Ltd. (TSX VENTURE:RPT), is pleased to announce a new drilling program designed to further test the high grade uranium surface showings sampled by the Company's prospectors during the 2005 and 2006 summer periods in the Split Rapids area located east of the Black Sturgeon fault. Previous shallow drilling in this area during the fall of 2005 intersected values as high as 2.99% U3O8 over 1.5 meters. Surface grab samples taken in 2006 assayed up to 19.9 % U3O8 (see press releases dated October 31, 2005 and September 27, 2006).
A number of uranium showings occur within the Split Rapids area. Mechanical stripping and prospecting have been successful in tracing the uranium occurrences over a strike length of 750 metres. In all cases the showings occur in or close to a regional band of iron formation that trends through the Sibley Basin. Previously, this mineralization had been interpreted as a possible root zone of an unconformity type uranium deposit, located directly above and subsequently eroded. Rampart's experienced uranium team has conducted a review of all the compiled data generated from this area. This review indicates that the Split Rapids area may host fault zone related mineralization similar to, for example, the Eagle Point deposit of Cameco Corporation in the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan. This deposit, originally with reserves of approximately 70 Million pounds of U3O8 at an average grade of 1.3% U3O8, is being mined underground. The present drill campaign will test the Split Rapids area with deeper drilling, up to 600 metres in depth.
Drilling will initially concentrate on the intersection of a northeast trending fault zone with the iron formation and possibly with a second, north-south striking fault zone. The best drill intersection of 2.99% U3O8 over 1.5 metres was recorded in this area by Rampart in 2005.
Rampart plans to resume drilling in the sediment covered parts of the Sibley Basin, west of the Black Sturgeon fault, following the completion of the Split Rapids area drilling. The uranium potential of this part of the Sibley Basin remains untested due to initial geological and technical problems encountered while drilling in the deeper parts of the basin.
Dr. Akin stated, "the Sibley Basin continues to be an important uranium project for Rampart in addition to two other strategically located properties in the Athabasca Basin of Saskatchewan."
Technical Information in this news release has been prepared by Colin Bowdidge, Ph.D., P.Geo., a Qualified Person as defined in NI 43-101, and vice president exploration for Rampart.
Hikmet Akin, President
Rampart Ventures Ltd.
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